


The Mrs. Clause

by Sapperjoe85



Series: The Santa Clause Series [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:46:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27896266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapperjoe85/pseuds/Sapperjoe85
Summary: Nick has accepted his place as the new Santa. After completing his first Grizzmas he's hit with the bombshell that he must now find a wife before the next Grizzmas Eve. Fortunately, he has Judy to help.
Relationships: Bonnie Hopps/Stu Hopps, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Series: The Santa Clause Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988386
Comments: 61
Kudos: 47





	1. Old Wounds

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to FirnenOne and TogDoesStuff for editing and proofreading!

The crackle of the fire filled the room as two mammals sat across from each other. On one side sat a chipper bunny and the other a bitter fox. Strange considering he was supposed to be the most jolly mammal in existence. 

"Come on Nick, it isn't that bad."

"Says the bunny that didn't have her life turned completely upside down only to have the rug pulled out from under her feet." 

"That hasn't happened, yet." He gave her an incredulous look. "Oh come on, you have a whole year to find someone. I'll even help you!" She offered enthusiastically.

“Oh really?” He asked, sitting up from where he was slouched. He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “No offense Carrots but you don’t exactly strike me as an expert on dating.” He said matter of factly. She easily waved off his skepticism.

“Pssh! Pu-lease! How hard could it possibly be?” She countered with a cocky smirk.

Nick frowned, he was about to offer a retort to what he hoped was a rhetorical question, when the sound of a bell started sounding. Both he and Judy looked up from where they sat towards the door leading out to the railing overlooking the factory floor. He looked down to Judy and was about to ask what was going on when she jumped from her seat and raced the couple of steps towards him.

“Come on!” She exclaimed, taking his paw in hers and dragging him with her. The two raced out the door and down the catwalks towards the far end of the factory. By now Nick was familiar enough to know this section had a large set of doors that opened up to the outside.

“Carrots! What’s going… on…” As they approached the end of the catwalk Nick noticed the cool breeze that was blowing through the air. Below them he could see the doors were open and mammals were pouring inside. When they finally slowed to a halt, Judy was standing on the railing and looking down on the parade of arctic mammals all making their way through the crowd that had gathered to greet them. She smiled, watching polar bears, muskox, reindeer, arctic foxes, arctic hares, arctic wolves and even dall sheep make their way inside. 

Nick stood beside her, looking over the crowd that had gathered. The largest of the mammals carried large sleds loaded with supplies and parts for the toy factory. The smaller mammals carried lighter items such as cloths, parts and even trinkets. It was amazing to watch the small parade as they made their way inside, seeing so many arctic foxes in one place was a novelty to him. Foxes were generally loners outside their own families and he started wondering if…

His ears twitched as he heard something. His ears were up and forward, scanning the crowd as he searched for something he thought he heard. Judy hopped off the railing and was about to guide Nick down to meet the group when she noticed how focused he was. It was the most serious expression she’d ever seen him have. His ears moved in unison as one or the other would flick slightly before focusing again.

“Nick? What’s wrong?” She looked down at the group, her own ears up and trying to find what it was he had recognized. When he didn’t answer she looked back just in time to see him lean forward slightly before his eyes widened in surprise before running in the direction of the stairs to get to the ground floor. Judy tried to keep up, but she’d fallen behind from being stunned by his sudden departure. Then even more as he moved through the crowd, seeing everyone gladly step out of his way as they recognized him. Unfortunately, she was not afforded the same courtesy. She was still a small ways away when she saw him stop behind an arctic vixen staring at her in disbelief before he spoke.

“Skye?”

She looked over her shoulder, as if to only see who had called her name, having to do a double take when she saw Nick standing there.

“Nick?” Her voice was laced with disbelief as the arctic hare with strange black stripes looked around her to see who she was speaking to. “What are you doing here?”

Nick huffed in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. “I’m… I’m Santa.” Skye’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing here? After you didn’t show we looked everywhere. We called the police but no one knew where you went or ever saw you again. You just... vanished.”

“I’m sorry.” She nearly whispered. “I couldn’t tell anybody, not even my parents.”

Nick took a step forward. “I don’t understand, couldn’t tell us what?” He took another step forward, only to stop when she took a step back, bumping into the stripped hare behind her.

“Skye? Is everything alright?” The hare asked, reaching up to hold her trembling arms. She looked back at him with shock, glancing between him and Nick. 

“I’m sorry.” She said with tears forming in her eyes, turning and disappearing into the crowd. 

Nick was about to go after her, to try and console her, to find out what could be bothering her but the hare cut him off.

“I’m sorry Santa, she’s not normally like this.” He said with a nervous smile. “I’m guessing she knew you from before she joined us?”

Nick looked him over as he spoke, dumbfounded that Skye had left so suddenly, he was taken by surprise when the hare stepped in front of him. So surprised was he, that only one question came to mind.

“Who are you?” Nick asked.

“Oh! Well, I’m Jack.” He held out his paw towards Nick. “Skye’s husband.”

If Nick were inclined to shake the hare’s paw before, he lost any desire to do so after hearing those two words together. He looked in the direction she’d gone for a moment before looking around and noticing all the pairs of eyes watching him. The majority of mammals in the hall hadn't witnessed their little exchange and the room was still filled with conversation and excitement. Nick did his best to swallow the lump in his throat and turn to go back the way he came. Leaving Jack to awkwardly withdraw his paw. Once again, everyone moved to make way for him as he approached, everyone but Judy. She stood still as he approached and walked beside him as he passed.

“Nick, who was that?” He said nothing as he kept his eyes forward and his pace steady. She followed him out of the crowd and a short ways back before stopping to let him walk alone. She watched till he was nearly out of sight and she heard her parents calling her.

“Judy? What happened? We heard something happened with Nick and some arctic fox?” Bonnie asked.

 _“Leave it to the rumor mill to spread news like wildfire.”_ Judy thought.

“I don’t know.” She spoke truthfully aloud, when she looked back all she saw was Nick’s tail disappear behind a corner. Her expression changed to one of determination. “But I’m going to find out.” Her parents watched her as she marched off after the sulking fox, still confused about what might have happened and what was about to happen.

He proved to be slippery prey for the determined bunny. Only catching small glimpses of the tip of his tail here and there. Eventually catching sight of him entering his personal quarters. She marched up and walked in without a second thought. The room had grown darker as the fire had slowly faded, but she noticed a fresh log had been thrown on remnants and she made her way towards it. Rounding the couch, she found who she was looking for. In the center cushion, curled up into a ball, Nick lay with the tip of his tail covering his face. 

“Nick?” She asked gently. “Nick are you alright?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Who was she?” Hoping the direct approach would get him to answer.

“My soulmate.” His voice came out as a half whine. If his tail hadn’t been covering his eyes, he would have seen the confusion on Judy’s face.

“What do you mean?” She asked, seeing the fur on his tail ripple from the breath that he blew out his nose. He then sat and slid to the side of the couch, resting his elbow on the arm rest and covering his face with his paw.

"When foxes choose a mate it's for eternity. There are no second chances for us. It's very common for a fox to die from heartbreak after losing their mate." He explained, never once looking up.

"And, you think she is your soulmate?" Judy asked, climbing onto the couch, facing him with her legs tucked under her.

He released another pained sigh mixed with a slight canine whine. "I thought she was." The pain in his voice made it sound thick. "I can still smell her scent. It's mixed with that hare's and it makes me sick." His body was beginning to shake from silently sobbing, his paw could no longer hold back the tears that began to trickle down his cheeks. Judy's nose began to twitch when his lips pulled back, revealing his sharp predatory teeth. The air hissed as he sucked in deep breathes between his sharp fangs.

Judy was lost. She'd never seen someone in such pain before. Sure there were plenty of accidents around the workshop but no one she knew of had suffered in the way Nick currently was. Unsure, she did the one thing she could think to do. That which her heart pleaded with her to do. Comfort.

She stood on the couch and slowly walked towards him. She held out a paw and hesitated for a moment before placing it on his shoulder. When he continued to sob she leaned closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him till his body began to settle. Though his breaths still sounded ragged, she gently guided him till he was laying down once again but this time with his head resting in her lap. His fatigue from the sleigh ride and the emotional overload of the day had finally claimed him. She sat like that with him till the fire's light began to fade once more. As she gently stroked his ears and her eyes grew heavy she wondered if she would be able to fix this poor dejected fox.


	2. What Makes a Mrs. Claws

When someone wakes up, they wake up to their strongest sense first. For elves, aka rabbits, it’s their hearing, canines and most predators it’s their sense of smell and others wake up somewhat dazed until they open their eyes and see the world around them. 

For Judy, it was the crackle of wood in the fireplace that first caused her to stir this morning. Curiously, she opened her eyes and found she was still lying on Nick’s couch, covered in one of his blankets. As she slowly became more aware of where she was, so to did she begin to remember why she was there. Her heart clenched at the memory of how pained he looked and doubt clouded her mind if she would be able to truly help him find someone-

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of soft sizzling. She looked over the back of the couch to catch the image of Nick flipping pancakes on a griddle. He looked so funny wearing clothes that were too small for his winter coat. Almost like a scarecrow with bits of fur sticking out between buttons and seams. The site drew a small giggle that carried around the room. It was cute how his ear twitched in her direction before he turned and smirked her way.

“What?” Nick asked.

“Just thinking.” She said before hopping off the couch and walking into the kitchen area where he was cooking. “We should probably get you some clothes to fit you while your fur is like this.” She proceeded to press one of her paws into his side, watching it sink till she felt something solid. Causing her to giggle again.

“Well, I’m glad you find my predicament so amusing.” He said with a little snark, flipping another pancake over. “Care to join me for breakfast?”

“Sure!” She replied, excited that he seemed back to normal after yesterday’s events.

The two sat and enjoyed some small talk as they ate. Neither bringing up any heavy topics to ruin the mood. Eventually, Judy knew she couldn't keep waiting to see if he'd bring up yesterday’s events and decided now was as good a time as any. After swallowing her last bite, she set her fork on her plate and wished she'd managed to keep her ears up.

"Nick, about yesterday." Nick had his last bite nearly in his mouth when she spoke. She felt guilty when he sighed and placed it back on his plate to go uneaten. He was quiet for a moment and Judy thought she’d have to probe him with questions to get answers. So it came as a surprise when he suddenly opened up.

“In vulpine tradition, the vixen is the one who initiates courtship. She can do it anyway she wants. Whether that’s through open flirting or subtle hints. It’s all meant to entice the tod into giving her his attention. After that it’s pretty straight forward dating. The two go out and spend time getting to know one another. When things start to get serious the two will start to form a bond. That bond is strengthened by acts performed by each. For the tod, it’s to show he can be a good provider usually by cooking meals for the two of them. This shows that he can feed a family. For the vixen, it’s to show she’ll support him in his endeavors. That can be anything from just helping to take care of the home while he’s away at work or even working to help bring in more income. Eventually the two become close enough that they want to move to the next step. They’ll mark and scent each other till their two scents become one.”

His voice cracked during the last sentence and he had to take a moment to compose himself before he could continue. 

“After that, the two get married and seal their bond.”

"You mean, sex?" Judy asked for clarification. 

"Um, yeah sorta. There's a little more to it for canines."

"Oh, like some sort of ritual or something?" She asked curiously. 

"You could say that."

Judy fell silent for a moment. She wanted to ask the next question but wasn't sure how to ask it gently. Fortunately, she didn't have to. 

"We met in college. We had a couple of classes together. I was surprised when she started flirting with me.” He huffed a laugh with a small smile. “I couldn’t believe she was interested in me.”

“Why’s that?” Judy interrupted, not sure how anyone couldn’t find Nick at least interesting.

“I come from a poor family that lived in Happytown. Probably the worst part of town. I was working at a fast food restaurant to try and pay my way through college. Skye’s family owned a franchise of mechanic shops all over Zootopia and the commonwealth. I thought, why would someone like her who’s at the upper crust of society be interested in me? Someone from the city gutters.”

It broke Judy’s heart to hear him talking so lowly of himself. How could someone so kind and selfless think so little of himself?

“Anyway, we dated for about a year. Things started to get serious and we marked and scented each other. We made plans, I showed up for the wedding, but she never came." Nick took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. “That was 10 years ago.”

Judy didn’t know what she could do to help him. She wasn’t exactly sure where he was emotionally at this point. He seemed to be better then last night. Especially after breaking down over Skye’s sce-

Realization struck Judy harder than a Grizzmas bell at midnight. “Nick, are you still…” She left the question hanging open. Hoping he’d be able to fill in the gaps for her so she wouldn’t have to say it aloud.

“Bonded? Yeah, or, at least I was. I guess last night was all I needed to finally process she’s gone. For me anyways.” He clarified, his tone sounding defeated.

“Is that why you thought you wouldn’t get to be Santa anymore? Because you hadn’t moved on yet?”

“Yeah,” he said with a bit of exasperation, “that was a big part of it. The other was the thought of how am I supposed to meet someone new and have time to get to know them before the end of the year? I still have duties here I need to perform.”

At that, Judy’s ears quickly shot up from where they’d been drooping down her back. “I can help!” She got out of her chair. “I can help narrow down the list of possible candidates while you make sure everything’s ready for next Grizzmas.”

“Fluff.” Nick tried to say as she started walking towards the door.

“I just need to figure out some parameters to go by-”

“Carrots.”

“-and I’ll have a list made up for you in no time!” 

The sound of the doors closing behind her seemed to echo through the room. Nick stared at the door for a moment longer before releasing a sigh. He stood from the table and started gathering the plates and walking to the sink to clean them, muttering to himself.

“Don’t let me stop you.”

On the other side of the door, Judy quickly rushed along the walkways back to her room. Despite being Santa’s head elf, Judy never accepted or asked for more accommodations. So her room was a simple square room with her bed, a wardrobe and desk. Along with a bookcase full of instruction manuals and notepads. She grabbed the notepad off her desk and stepped back outside of her door only to realize she didn’t know where exactly to start.

Stepping back into her room, Judy started pacing back and forth in her tiny room. “Okay, how to find the perfect Ms. Claus.” She continued to pace for a few more minutes before coming to a stop. “I have no idea, but I know someone who might.”

She left her room and briskly walked to another area of the burrow inside the mountain. Deep down, below the noisy toy factory, a special set of rooms was set aside. Judy rarely came here, usually just to find someone like she was today. She stood outside the door and gave a gentle tap before waiting. A moment later, the door opened and a young elf poked her head out to see who had come to visit.

“Hey!” Judy said in a soft voice. “I’m here to see your aunt Jeanine. Can I come in?”

“You’re aunt Judy.” She said.

“That’s right. I need to talk to aunt Jeanine, it’s very important.”

“You work with Santa.” 

It took a moment, but Judy finally realized what was happening. This young doe, Myra, was feeling a little star struck. With the workshop being such a dangerous place, little ones such as her were kept from there. The previous Santa had spent as much time as he could with the little ones here but the demands of the workshop kept him away more than he would have liked. He’d explained that was one reason he wanted to make Judy his head elf. So he would have more time to socialize. So Judy offered Myra a soft smile.

“That’s right and I’m here on official Santa business. So it’s super important that I talk to your aunt Jeanine as soon as possible. Can you help me do that?”

Myra nodded and opened the door to allow Judy inside. After closing the door, Myra led Judy down the halls of the dimly lit area. Glancing out of the corner of her eye up at Judy several times along the way before speaking suddenly.

“Are you having Santa’s kittens?”

Judy had to catch herself after tripping over her own feet. The question catching her so off guard she lost all sense of bearing for a second. She looked back at Myra in shock while Myra stared back with a child’s curiosity. 

“N-no!” She nearly shouted before covering her mouth and looking around then replying in a more subtle tone. “Why would you think that?”

Myra shrugged, looking almost disappointed. “The grownups always talk about everyone who spends a lot of time together. They say that’s how you know when they like each other. Eventually they always come down here asking for a room and telling everyone they’re having kits.” She’d started walking again and Judy followed.

Judy let that sink in for a moment before commenting. “So the grownups think me and Santa like each other?”

“They said you spend more time with Santa than with elves and if you don’t get married soon you’ll die an old maid.”

“Oh.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence as they passed room after room. Each with a plaque that had someone’s name on it. Till they finally came to one that had the name Jeanine Laurine on it. At this point Myra left Judy to return back to the door. Judy took a moment before entering to reflect on when she was that age. Not old enough to go out onto the workshop floor yet but old enough to help in the nursery. It was Myra’s job to answer the door when someone knocked gently and then help them find their way to whoever they were looking for.

Done with her trip down memory lane, Judy stepped to the door and pressed the button next to it. Alerting the occupants inside that someone was there. A moment later the door opened and an exhausted Jeanine stood before her.

“Judy!” She reached out and pulled her sister into a hug. “Come in, come in. The litter just fell asleep.”

“Oh I’m sorry Jeany, is this a bad time?” Judy felt bad for coming during a time when Jeany should be getting rest.

“No, no. I could use the company. Come on sit, tell me what brings Jude the Prude down into the nursery?”

Judy cringed at the nickname that seemed to stick with her since her teenage years. Thankfully, over time most of her siblings who used the nickname had forgotten about it and moved on. But every now and then a situation came up where they’d use the old tease once again. Deciding to ignore the jab at her nonexistent love life, Judy gave a sarcastic smile back and parted her lips to speak…

Only nothing came out. She had a sudden realization. If everyone knew there was a possibility there would be no more Grizzmas, it would be chaos. At least, she thought there would be. But what could she do? She needed help but couldn’t risk causing panic amongst the elves. She had to approach this subject cautiously and in a way that wouldn’t give anything away. 

“Judy?” Jeany asked, sounding slightly concerned. “What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost or something?”

“Oh, uh, sorry.” She said, regaining her composure. “I realized I forgot something. It’s not important though I’ll take care of it later.” She said with a fake smile.

“Uh hu.” Jeanine leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms. She and Judy were from the same litter and had been close siblings all their lives. As such, they’d learned to pick up on each other's little quirks.

“Anyway,” Judy said, quickly trying to change the subject, “I wanted to ask your advice. What kind of girl do guys like?” Judy sat turned towards her sister, pad and pen ready to jot down any notes necessary. However, all she got in return was a blank stare from her sister.

“Who is it?” Jeany suddenly asked.

“Who is what?” Judy asked, suddenly confused.

“The buck you want to impress, who is it?”

Judy’s jaw dropped open for a second before she closed it, realizing she could use this to her advantage. It has long been established that Judy wasn’t interested in settling down. “Oh, uh, it’s no one in particular.”

“Right, so why are you trying to get someone’s attention then?” Jeanine leaned forward with a mischievous smile.

“Well… Let’s just say I might be thinking about considering the idea of settling down. So I’m being proactive in trying to find out what guys like in girls in general.”

“Uh hu, okay then.” Jeanine didn’t sound convinced but at least she was going along with the idea. “Well the best advice I can give you is to just be you. Every guy is different and if you try to be someone you aren’t you’ll just end up getting hurt.”

Judy’s ears lowered at that. While it was excellent advice in her opinion it didn’t really help her any. Noticing this, Jeanine continued.

“However, if there’s a buck in particular that you want to try and catch the attention of, you could try and find out about some of the things that he’s interested in. Maybe do some of those things just to get his attention.” 

Jeanine struggled to get the last words out before yawning. However, it seemed to be enough as Judy made a note and stood from her seat and made to leave.

“Right, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Jeany, I’ll leave you to get some rest now. I know you need it.” She said with a smile.

“No problem. Oh, and Judy,” she waited till her sister stopped and looked at her, “when you decide to let me know who he is, don’t hesitate.” With that she closed her eyes and laid down to try and nap.

Judy just turned and left the room. Feeling a heavy burden for having told her sister a lie. She knew it was necessary, but the guilt was already eating at her. She quietly made her way to the exit and managed to give a small smile and wave to Myra as she left. She then looked at the single note she’d made.

_ Find things that he’s interested in. _

She forced her guilt down for now and thought about how she’d gain that information. The obvious thing to do would be to ask Nick but she didn’t think he’d want to talk about it right now. Not after having a run in with Skye.

Skye.

She could answer that question. They did date after all. So Judy rushed down to the area where the others would be and started asking where she could find Skye. It took a while with such a large crowd but eventually she was directed to a corner area where she found the vixen and the same hare with the strange black stripes from before.

“Excuse me, Skye?” She asked.

“Yes?” The vixen replied.

“My name is Judy Hopps.” She said as she stepped closer, offering to shake her paw. “I’m Head Elf in the toy factory.”

Skye took Judy’s smaller paw in her own. “Yes, I saw you last year. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping you could help me with something. Um, privately if possible.” Judy explained, glancing at the hare that was sitting with the vixen. She remembered he introduced himself as Jack. She watched as Skye gave him a small smile and nodded that it was okay. He then left silently, giving Judy a distrustful side glance as he left.

“Don’t take it personally, he’s a little upset after yesterday.” Skye explained.

“It’s fine, I know you must be fairly upset as well.” Judy took a seat as she spoke, readying her pen and pad. “But I’m afraid I may cause you more distress. I’m actually here to ask you some questions about Nick.”

Skye tilted her head to the side as her ears splayed outward, her brow scrunching in uncertainty. “I haven’t seen Nick in ten years before yesterday. I’m not sure what help I could be.”

“Before I say more, I need your word that you won’t share what we’re about to talk about with anyone. Grizzmas itself depends on it.” She said in her most serious tone.

“What’s wrong?” Skye brought her paws to her muzzle to cover a gasp. “Is it Nick? Is something wrong with him?” 

“No, nothing like that.” Judy soothed. “But I need your word, you won’t share what I’m about to tell you with anyone.”

Skye eagerly nodded her agreement and leaned in to listen closely. Judy let out a hesitant sigh before explaining everything to Skye. She filled her in on the Mrs. clause and how Nick could lose his position as Santa if he couldn’t find someone by the next Grizzmas. 

“I-I’m sorry but what is it you need of me?” Skye asked fearfully. Afraid Judy wanted her to become Mrs. Claws.

“You know Nick better than anyone. I was hoping you could tell me some of the things that Nick might like in a mate. Things I could look for to help him find someone.”

“Oh…” Skye looked visibly relieved after hearing that. She then looked contemplative as she went silent for several moments.

Judy did her best to stay patient. She had to make a conscious effort not to let her foot start thumping. Perking up once Skye started speaking again.

“Okay, here’s what you need to know.”

The two spent nearly an hour together as Skye went over all the little details she could remember. Sharing everything she could think of that seemed to catch Nick’s eye back in the day. When she finished Judy offered her a hug in gratitude for all her help. She only had one more stop to make before she could finally sit down and start building a list of candidates to present to Nick. And so she rushed once again through the burrow till she rounded the corner to her parents’ room.

Only to stop when she saw Nick stepping out. Watching as he looked her way and looked surprised to see her, only to switch to his usual smug, calm demeanor. He’d changed out of his Santa suit and into one of his casual pawaiin shirts and slacks. When she’d asked him about why he wore the tacky clothes he said he never really cared for the cold and the shirts made him think of warmer weather with sandy beaches.

“Hey Carrots, how goes the search?” He asked.

“Well,” she looked at her notes, “I only just started so I don’t have any names yet. But I’ve been doing research and-” She stopped when he placed his paw on her shoulder. When did he move to get so close?

“Hey, don’t take it too seriously. Okay? Save some time for yourself.”

Judy felt mesmerized for a moment as she stared into his deep green eyes. The kindness she saw in them had always been there, she recognized it from working together so much the last month. But now she could see something else, something she couldn’t name. Swallowing the lump it caused, she managed to squeak out a reply.

“O-okay.”

“Good, how about we have dinner tomorrow and you can tell me about the progress you’ve made so far?” Nick suggested.

“S-sure, that sounds great.” She answered back.

“Great, see ya then Carrots!” With that he patted her shoulder and walked off. Judy watched as he left, his tail seeming to wag a bit more than it used to. Shaking herself, she focused back on the task at paw and went to her parents suite.

“Oh hey Jude! Saint Nick was just here. He was looking for ya.” Stu greeted when she entered. She’d developed the habit of not knocking when she came to visit them. Their suite was set up much the same as Nick’s as well as all of the married couples. Each having a small home inside the burrow.

“Yeah, I saw him as he was leaving. And I actually need to ask you guys something. Have you told anyone about the Mrs. clause?” She asked in a low voice. Both Bonnie and Stu looked at each other before shaking their heads no.

“No dear, we didn’t want anyone to panic. You haven’t told anyone have you?” Bonnie replied.

“I only told one person but I made them swear it to secrecy. I only told them about it because I needed information. I’m trying to help Nick find someone by creating a list of possible candidates. I have a few ideas of what type of person to look for but no idea how to find someone that would fit those descriptions.” She lamented.

“Why not use the Immergut?” Stu suggested.

“The immer-what?” Judy replied, her head tilting to the side as one ear went askew.

“The Immergut, the always good list.” He clarified. “It’s something we built a long time ago for the first Santa but I don’t think it was ever really used.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well that’s no surprise. The Immergut is used to find who would be on the good list even after they stop believing in Grizzmas. You can even narrow down your list by species, gender, age almost anything you can think of really.” Bonnie explained.

Judy immediately jumped with excitement.

“Yes! That’s perfect! Where is it!”


	3. Getting Love Involved

The Immergut was a strange contraption to behold. It was in a small area below the main room where the naughty and nice list was printed out. It was only accessible through a doorway in the floor. It had gone forgotten for so long that a table had been placed over it for sorting print outs. After moving it aside they lifted the doorway and walked down the stairs to a small area where a lone desk sat in a room that passed as just big enough for a bear. The desk itself had several gear-like wheels sticking out with names for different species and subtypes on the teeth. She didn’t know how but after selecting canidae for example and pressing a button beneath it the next gear would lower into the desk and another would replace it with all the varying genus types within the canidae family.

She continued to match up the results she wanted till she had a large list that would surely provide several possible matches that Nick would like. The list included red and arctic foxes as well as several different species of foxes. One of the main things Judy had gained from talking with Skye was learning Nick found shorter females attractive. While height wasn’t an option, she could choose between species, gender and age. After making her selections she’d push a button below the final gear and the machine would start printing the results. Which, to her surprise, were overwhelming. Soon the room that had once been big enough for a bear was rapidly losing space to mounting pages of candidates.

“Hey.”

The sudden voice directly above her caused Judy to drop the papers she was holding as she spun around with a gasp, having been too distracted to notice anyone approaching.

“Nick! Don’t do that! You almost gave me a heart attack.” Regaining her composure, Judy held a paw to her fast beating heart.

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly, holding up a plate of food and a cup. “I didn’t see you at dinner and your parents told me you were down here.” He set the items on the desk and looked around at the mounds of papers. “So what’s all this?”

“This,” Judy gestured at the papers surrounding them, “is the list of potential Mrs. Claws candidates.”

“Oh.” Nick said looking around. “Ooohh.” As the realization sunk in on just how many candidates she’d found. “Uh, so all of these…”

“Are potential candidates. I was talking with my dad while figuring out how to work the Immergut and he believes it will list anyone who is still on the good list after they stopped believing in Santa. So there’s a good chance that most of these candidates are already married or spoken for and that should narrow our list substantially. I just hope it doesn't take too long.” She said, turning her attention to the plate of food waiting for her.

“You’ll need to use a travel globe to go over all of these in time.” Nick said, picking up one of the lists. “Still, this could take a while. Do you want some help?” 

Judy looked around the room, slowly chewing on the bite she’d just taken. “I don’t know who we could ask. I’m worried it might cause a panic if all the other elves found out about…”

“Ah.” Nick looked back at the sheet in his paw, try as he might, he couldn’t place this person in his mind the way he could when checking the naughty or nice list. How were they going to narrow down a list of love inter…

“Hey Carrots.”

“Hmm?” She responded, looking up from where she sat.

“Did you know leprechauns were real?”

“Yeah, I’ve met a couple. Kind of a rude and grumpy group if you ask me. Why do you ask?” Her ears turned sideways in curiosity.

“Can you tell me what other mythical beings exist out there?”

Not sure where he was going with this, Judy leaned back and started counting off the different beings she could think of.

“Well there’s the tooth fairy, he’s a big grumpy water buffalo, Sandman, a camel, the easter bunny, though he’s not really a bunny, he’s actually a hare, Cu-” Judy froze before she could finish the last name. Looking towards Nick to see a smug, knowing grin on his face before jumping out of her chair with both arms stretched out. “Cupid! Way to go Slick!” In her excitement, she gave him a quick jab in the arm before grabbing the paper he was holding and walking back to the desk.

“Ow.” The jab had been so sudden Nick froze up from the sudden sharp pain in his arm.

“We can get Cupid to come and look through this list and let us know who’s already in love and greatly reduce our number of candidates! I need to get a travel globe and leave right away!"

Nick watched as Judy shot up the stairs and out of view at an incredible speed. He kept his eyes on the open door for another minute or two before finally forcing them away. He looked around the empty room, rubbing his chest just above his heart. Looking at the stacks of paper, he supposed Mrs. Claws could be here.

Judy quickly raced back to Nick’s room, making her way into his workshop and opened a drawer on the side of his desk. She reached in and pulled out one of the snow globes kept there. This one with a figure of a Santa landing the sleigh on a rooftop.

Swirling it around, she took a moment to enjoy the image of Santa delivering presents while it snowed. Remembering the real life image she’d experienced with Nick before closing her eyes and softly whispering. 

"Take me to Cupid."

Her words were shortly followed by the familiar rush of air and momentum she was familiar with now. As soon as it ended, she opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself in a massive open area with strange low hanging fog or smoke around her feet. The sound of music had her ears turning around to find the source. In the distance, she spotted an orange figure bouncing behind a large, white, powdery desk. As she approached, she could make out the figure of a very large, portly cheetah.

“Excuse me?” As she approached the desk she realized the desk was taller than her and only the tip of her ears would show over the edge. “Down here!” She called.

The portly cheetah stopped his dancing and turned around to peer over his desk. Looking down, he saw a creature he knew existed but had never seen before. Dressed in her green and red outfit, his eyes bulged as realization hit him.

“O. M. Goodness. They really do use bunnies as elves. Oh wow! I gotta say you’re even cuter than I ever imagined you’d be.” 

Judy visibly cringed from the dreaded C word.

“Uh, you may not know this but a bunny can call another bunny cute but when others do it’s a little…” Trying her best to be diplomatic, she waited to see how he would react.

The cheetah recoiled with a gasp, bringing his paws to cover his muzzle. “I am so sorry, me Benjamin Clawhauser Cupid the third, the guy everyone thinks is just a chipper, over exuberant bringer of love, stereotyping you.”

“It’s okay.” She responded with a giggle. “I really do need your help though. I-um, did you say Cupid the third?”

“Oh yeah, see most people think Cupid is just a single entity but really we’re a family organization.”

“Oh? How does that work?” She asks curiously.

“Well similar to how I think you elves and Santa work. The elves do most of the ground work with building the toys and Santa is kind of the overseer and head honcho who delivers the toys. The only difference is when it comes down to it, there are several Cupids in the family who go around ‘shooting arrows’.” He said the last words with finger quotes.

“Oh, that is interesting, but I have a tinsy bit of an emergency. Who do I talk to about it?”

“Oh that would be me. I can help you with whatever you need.” He replied with a chipper tone. “What kind of emergency are we talking about?”

“Well,” she started with some reservation, “you see, Santa, kind of needs to find a wife.”

“Oh dear.” He sighed. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help. You see, contrary to popular belief, we don’t actually go around making everyone fall in love. We just show up when it happens and help them realize their true feelings. But even if we did do that, it wouldn’t work on legendary beings such as Santa or even yourself.”

“But this is an emergency! If I don’t find Santa a wife before next Grizzmas it’ll be the end of all Grizzmas’s!”

Benjamin gasped at the news, but had a solemn reply.

“That’s terrible but I’m afraid I still can’t help.”

“Actually, I don’t need you to make Santa fall in love. I already have a list of possible candidates for Santa to choose from. I just need help narrowing down the list.”

“Oh yeah! I can totally help with that. Where do we begin?”

With Cupid on board, or Ben as he liked to be called, Judy used the snow globe to whisk them back to the room where she’d compiled all the possible candidates. Surprised, Judy found that nothing had been moved despite the feeling of wind rushing around them.

“Wow, what a rush!” Ben exclaimed.

“I know, right?” After giving Ben a moment to adjust to his new surroundings, Judy quickly got them to work. Turns out, Ben had brought an iPaw with him that connected to a database the Cupids used to keep track of information. 

“We aren’t all knowing on these matters like Santa is.” He explained, pointing out that among the legendary figures Santa was held in the highest regards for what he did to bring happiness in the world.

Hearing this, Judy couldn’t help the smile that pulled her lips up. Glancing over, she saw Ben staring at her with his own goofy grin. 

“What?” She asked, feeling her ears start to burn.

“It’s nothing.” He replied, shaking his head before turning back to the task at paw.

Judy thought about pressing him for an answer, till she was interrupted.

“There you are! We’ve been looking… Who’s this?” Nick said, pointing towards the chubby cheetah.

“Nick! This is Benjamin Clawhauser Cupid the Third, he’s here to help me narrow down the Mrs. Claws list.”

A sharp ear piercing squeal cut through the room as Ben started vibrating in his seat. “Santa Claws!” Was all they heard him say before he collapsed onto the floor.

The two looked at the unconscious feline for a second before Nick spoke.

“That’s Cupid?” He asked.

“Oh my gosh! Ben?! Ben can you hear me?!” Judy jumped down from her chair and was doing everything she could to make sure he was okay. Nick had walked from the stairs and was now standing over the two and Judy frantically tried to get a response.

“He seems kinda… big, to be cupid.” Nick observed, causing Judy to look back with a glare.

“Really Nick?”

“What?” He tried defending himself. “I always thought cupid was a miniature deer.” 

“That’s Bartholamew, he’s my cousin.” The cheetah said softly.

“Oh Ben, are you alright? Lay still, don’t try to move.”

“I’m okay, nothing hurts.” He says, trying to sit up though Judy attempted to keep him still. “Just a little woozy.”

“Are you sure?” Judy asked.

“Yeah I’ll be fine.” He said before yawning.

“Well, looks like our guest could use some rest.” Nick interjected. “Will you be staying with us or commuting?”

“Oh, if I could stay here that would be perfect. I’ll just send an L-mail to my boss real quick.” He got to his feet and grabbed the tablet from the table. Typing out a quick message as he listened to the conversation behind him.

_ “L-mail?”  _ Both Nick and Judy mouthed to one another.

“Oh no, I didn’t realize it was so late.” He heard Judy say. “Mom and Dad are probably worried sick.”

“Don’t worry about it. You just go get some rest. I’ll show our friend here to the guest rooms and swing by your parents’ to let them know you’re back.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother-”

“Nonsense,” Nick cut her off, “you’re doing me a huge favor by taking on this task.”

Judy let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks Nick.”

“Dumb bunny.”

“Sly fox.”

Cupid couldn’t help but notice the affection in those words. That thought accompanied him as he walked with Nick towards the room they’d offered, causing a silence that didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’re awfully quiet for someone who has a bubbly disposition.” Nick said with a sidelong glance.

“Oh! Sorry, just thinking about something.”

“Not backing out of helping us I hope?” It sounded like Nick’s voice was mixed with both hope and dread to Ben.

“Oh, no no no! Nothing like that. It’s just…” He trailed off, not sure how he should describe things at the moment. “This could take a while.”

“Ah, yeah that list Judy came up with is something else. How long do you think it’ll take to go through everything?”

“Oh that! Yeah, uh, that could take a while. Probably close to eleven months, maybe a year.” Ben said, somewhat eagerly.

“Hmm, well, no need to rush yourself. Take your time and don’t make mistakes.” He said calmly. “Remember slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” He finished just as they stopped in front of a door. “Here we are. If you need anything there’s a bell for the night crew. They can help you with whatever you need. Goodnight Ben.”

“Goodnight Santa!” He said quickly before rushing into the room and closing the door.

Nick only shook his head at the strange cheetah. The first person he’d met since becoming Santa that he couldn’t get a read on.

The next morning came and Nick found Judy and Ben already hard at it. Ben looked like he had been woken up far earlier than he was used to while Judy seemed to be full of energy, as usual. He didn’t interrupt their work, but did bring them breakfast and reminded them to take a break for lunch. He then went about what would be his normal routine till after the New Year celebration. He mingled with the visiting mammals, who he learned would join them for the celebration before returning home. That night he prepared a meal for him and Judy, setting the table with a candle and waited for her to arrive. Finally, after minutes became hours and the candle was burned halfway, he pinched out the light and put things away.

The next day, he did the same as before and mingled with the new comers and only peaked in on Judy and Ben. So continued this routine till New Years. He finally saw Judy and Ben arrive just in time for the count down that night and a few minutes after she came to wish him a Happy New Year. Just before running off to get sleep for the next day.

With the new year arrived and passed, it was time for the visitors to return home and Santa’s workshop to get to work. Renovations needed to be made, repairs completed and the workshop put back into full swing. He didn’t realize how busy he was everyday till two and a half months had passed and he returned to his room after a long day to find Bonney sitting on his couch, waiting for him.

“Oh, Nicholas I’m glad you’re here. You have to do something about Judy.” She pleaded.

“Hello Bonnie, lovely to see you waiting for me inside my den, unannounced.” He said aggressively.

Bonnie blinked in surprise as he walked past her and into his private workshop. She stared at the doorway for a moment before following after him. Surprised at his reaction. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d come to talk to her and Stu about, well, everything. When she looked into his workshop he was sitting in the chair with his paws resting in his lap tinkering with something. He looked so sullen.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly without looking up from what he was doing. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

“Nicholas, what’s going on? Judy never leaves the Immergut and you’ve been distant with everyone lately.” She gave him a gentle smirk when he looked up in surprise after describing him. “Here’s a hint, with Judy distracted from her normal task everyone comes to me with their concerns over you.”

Nick physically flinched at that. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…”  _ sigh _ “I just don’t feel like I’ll be able to find someone who’s willing to give up everything for me. By the time Judy and Ben finish with their research the year will be nearly over. I don’t have time to court someone or even try and go out on a date. And I was afraid of what would happen when I have to leave. I didn’t want anyone to think…” He trailed off as Bonnie placed a paw on his forearm.

“You didn’t want to be attached to anyone if you have to give up being Santa Claws.”

It was a statement, not a question. She’d managed to see right through him and the defeated sigh along with how he slouched into the chair were all the confirmation she needed.

“Nick may I give you some advice?” She took the way he looked up at her curiously to mean yes. “When you came to visit last you shared how vulpines tend to take courtship slowly and the female takes the lead. With rabbits it’s different. Courtship is much faster and the male takes the lead. Sometimes, when a doe is being stubborn, the male will be more aggressive and demanding. In ancient times that aggression was also how bucks gained dominance over a warren and any discenters would be dealt with aggressively as well. Even today, when a rabbit questions someone’s authority, whoever is in charge, be they male or female, will become more aggressive by standing taller and facing their ears forward and up. It’s a sign that they are in charge.”

“So you want me to be more aggressive rather than stand offish?” Nick asked, confused, even more so when Bonnie laughed.

“Only if you need to.” She said breathlessly. “But I would like for you to talk to Judy. She and Cupid have been working nonstop since she brought him here.”

Nick went back to fiddling with the object in his paws at that. Not going unnoticed by Bonnie.

“The poor dear looks like he’s lost twenty pounds from when he first arrived. I’ve tried talking to Judy but she just goes in a tangent about the end of Grizzmas. Would you please see if you can talk some sense into her?”

Nick released a heavy sigh, closing his eyes before nodding. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” Bonnie replied, with a grateful smile. “Goodnight Nicholas.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Nick stayed where he was for a few more minutes. Finally placing the small windup toy on his work desk. A feral rabbit that jumped as they jumped millenia ago.

At the Immergut, Judy and Clawhauser worked tirelessly to get through the quota of papers Judy had set for them. Judy calling out names as he typed them in. Lately they’ve been finishing later and later in the day. Though she couldn’t figure out why as Ben let out another yawn beside her.

“Come on Ben, just five more and we can call it a night.” Judy encouraged him.

“You said that an hour ago!” He whined in reply.

“This time I mean it, it’s getting late. Next name is-”

“Hopps.” Both froze before looking towards the stairs to see Nick walking down them, frighteningly quiet. “How goes the search?” 

They both looked at him surprised, he hadn’t been back down with them since they’d first started. And now that she saw him, Judy felt there was something she was forgetting. She quickly pushed that thought aside and began updating him on their progress.

“We’re making good progress. We’ve managed to get about thirty percent of the way through the names we have so far and we have a total of seventy nine candidates to go over with you when we’re finished. We’re almost done for the night and then we’ll-”

“I want you to stop pushing so hard.” He interrupted, remembering what Bonnie said about asserting dominance.

Judy sat stunned for a second. Not sure if he really meant it or if he had given up on being Santa. She couldn’t allow that.

“Nick, if we slow down we’ll never finish in time before-” He interrupted again.

“I’m not telling you to stop but I am placing you on a new schedule.” He looked to Ben. “Cupid, breakfast is served from five to seven every morning. I don’t expect you to be here with Judy until seventhirty. Lunch is between eleven and one, you get one hour for lunch and dinner is served between five and seven. You will stop working at five. Both of you.” He gave Judy a hard glare with the last sentence before turning to leave.

Judy felt as though he were trying to placate her. To convince her that he was just acting the role of being in charge and secretly giving up. She had to try and convince him not to hold them back.

“Nick, please if we could-”

The sound that resonated around the room had the fur on the back of Ben’s neck standing on end and his tail to poof out. For Judy, her ears lowered and she instinctively made herself try to appear smaller, but her stomach was doing flips as the sound of his growl seemed to vibrate through her.

Nick didn’t intend to growl, only to appear as Bonnie had described. He stood up straight, pointed his ears up and faced forward. The growl that left him surprised him and he nearly cut it off midway before noticing how effective it seemed to be. When he finally did finish, he looked at Judy. Seeing her appear so vulnerable nearly caused him to break his act but he knew he had to push forward. How could he convince her that this was the right course of action? He did miss spending time with her. She was really the only friend that he’d managed to make despide how long he’d been here without her helping him. So, he decided on a plan that would both be agreeable to them both.

“Hopps, you will join me for dinner at the end of every day.”

_ “Dinner! Oh no, I forgot about joining him for dinner!” _ She thought to herself.

Nick didn’t react but he could easily see her inner turmoil. “As my head elf I still need your expertise on some things within the workshop and you can give me an update on your progress. This new schedule will start tomorrow, I’ll see you both at breakfast. Goodnight.”

Nick turned and left without waiting for a reply, walking back up the stairs and out of the list room. As he walked along the balcony to his room he couldn’t help the confident smirk that pulled at his lips.


	4. Mrs. Claws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Mrs. Claws comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've done it, I've finally finished the last chapter to this Christmas story. I think this is probably the longest chapter I've ever published. It took so long to write. I got stuck on so many scenes, changed scenes and the ending so many times it's ridiculous. Sorry for taking so long, I hope you all enjoy.

With their new work schedule decided on, and Nick checking up on them regularly now, Judy and Ben were managing to be more productive as Ben soon felt reinvigorated. So much so that Judy began returning to some of her normal duties. Where she heard from others what Nick had told them what she’d been doing the past couple of months. Which she asked about at their next ‘meeting’.

“So, I’ve been hearing some interesting news since returning to my regular duties.” Judy starts, as she takes a seat at the table.

“Oh? And what is that?” Nick replied, bringing their plates over.

“I heard that Santa is looking for a new wife.” She said scandalously. 

“Is that so? And what do you think of these new developments?” He said conspiratorially, playing along as he set their plates down and took his own seat.

“I think Santa has been leaking secrets.” Giving Nick a playful stink eye as she said so.

“And what, pray tell, would give you that idea?” Nick replied with a smirk.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that everyone who told me said you were the one who told them?”

“Guilty as charged!” He proclaimed, holding up his fork before taking a bite.

“Nick! After all we went through to keep this a secret and you just go out and tell everyone?! But what will happen when-” She stopped her tirade when he just smirked and shook his head.

“No one will figure it out on their own. The only way they could possibly know is if one of us tells them. In fact, as you’ve already noticed, everyone is so focused on the notion that I’m looking for a wife at all that they don’t really know why. They think I’m just lonely.” He finished, dismissing her concerns with a wave of his fork. For Nick, the conversation was finished. There was nothing left to discuss on the matter as he chewed his next bite, enjoying the silent moment in the meal.

“Are you?”

The concern in her voice told him all he needed to know. He didn’t have to look up to see the same concern reflected in her eyes. How easy would it have been for him to play it off, slip a little white lie in to placate her and just move on. He’d done it a million times before becoming Santa. The closest he came to that now was just thinking to himself that he couldn’t believe he used to be like that.

“I was.” He said with a shrug. “Before I came here. But after getting settled in, it didn’t feel like I was lonely anymore. As the days started to add up though, it started to feel like I was alone again. I guess being the only fox here has something to do with it. But then, as I started to get involved in the search for Mrs. Claws, I didn’t feel as alone anymore. I guess, knowing that it’s possible for me to find someone has helped take off the edge a bit.”

His response caused Judy to smile, knowing she was a key player in making him feel like he wasn’t alone. “I’m glad. Hopefully we’ll be finished ahead of schedule and you’ll have more time to get to know whoever the future Mrs. Claws is.”

Nick smiled and lifted his glass towards her. “To Mrs. Claws.” He said with a smile.

Judy lifted her own glass and cheerfully responded. “To Mrs. Claws!” As their glasses clinked together and they both began to laugh.

The rest of the night was filled with their usual banter and laughter. The months continued to roll by as Judy became less and less involved with helping Ben and more involved with working with Nick in the toy factory. It soon became rare to see one without the other as they went from one end of the factory to another. 

“Have you noticed that?” Bonnie asks her husband, as they look down from one of the balconies overlooking the factory floor. Below them, Nick and Judy were working to resolve an issue with one of the paint mixers. Nick had been trying to fix it when paint sprayed out and covered his face, leaving him to look like a smurf.

“Noticed what Bon?” Stu watched the pair as Judy burst into a fit of laughter next to him, only to catch sight of him too late as he tweaked the machine a different way, spraying her with red paint.

“She laughs more when he’s around.” Bonnie pointed out, giggling when the two began playing a game of cat and mouse to try and paint the other with the color they were covered in.

“Yeah, you got that right.” Stu replied with a chuckle. “Hope she doesn’t mind him spending more time with the missus once he finds one.” He said with concern.

“Oh, I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Bonnie said with a knowing smile as she continued to watch the two mammals.

It wasn’t long before November was ending and December arrived and the workshop was still in full swing. Nick and Judy were out doing their rounds and helping where needed when a loud crashing noise could be heard making its way to them.

“What in the world could that be?” Judy asked, as she and Nick tried to see what all the fuss was. They didn’t have to wait for long as a spotted figure made his way through the alleyway between workbenches that were spaced for the elves and not an overweight cheetah. Ben tried his best, but every step he took caused him to bump into someone, knock something over or both.

“Ben stop please!” She pleaded as she ran up to him.

In his excitement, he reached down and lifted Judy up off the ground, bringing her to his eye level before proclaiming what all the excitement was about. “It’s finished!”

Judy and Nick looked at each other, a sense of surprise and uncertainty over taking them. A short while later, and several messes and accidents made, the three made their way down to the Immergut. The room didn’t look much different from the last time Nick had been down here. Stacks on top of stacks of paper were lined along the walls, the only noticeable difference being the significantly smaller stack of papers on the desk.

“One hundred and forty seven.” Ben said with a smile, almost reverently as he lifted the stack and handed it to Judy. Who seemed to hold the stack of papers with the same sense of wonder as Ben did.

"Really?" Nick asked, not nearly as impressed as the other two. "That's all the single ladies?"

“Well, most foxes due tend to marry young.” Ben commented.

“One hundred and forty seven.” Judy whispered. “I’ve got to hurry, I need to organize these, make a presentation, schedule a time for…” She looked up at Nick with a sense of urgency in her eyes. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” And off she ran, disappearing up the stairs as she left the two males alone.

“Well, I suppose we need to get you back home.” Nick commented, sounding rather jolly.

“Oh yes, that would be nice. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed my stay here, everyone has been very nice and accommodating, it’s just…” he paused nervously, trying his best not to be offensive to Santa.

Nick, however, snorted in reply, finding the cheetah’s discomfort amusing. “Don’t worry spots, I get it. No place like home, am I right?” He asked as he led the portly cheetah up the stairs.

“That’s true.” He chuckled, following the fox in silence as he led him to his suite where the travel globes are kept. After passing through the doors, he turned and watched Nick close the doors, expecting him to continue leading him to his passage home. Instead, he found the vulpine taping the knob of the closed door with his brow knitted in thought. He was about to ask what was wrong when he answered the question for him.

“Do you really think there’s a missus claws in that list?”

Ben was taken aback by the question. Not once since he’d been here had he seen Nick express any form of concern or even much interest in the list they were putting together. His jaw worked back and forth several times as he tried to come up with a reply, but nothing came out as Nick gave him an understanding smile.

“It’s alright.” It was all he said before leading him back into his private workshop. 

Ben wanted to tell him, he wanted to desperately, but he was bound by his oath to keep what he knew to himself. Sullenly, he watched the fox reach into his desk and pull out a snowglobe, much like the one he saw Judy use to bring him here.

“Hold my shoulder.” Nick instructed.

As Ben did so he felt that familiar rush as everything around him shifted into a snow storm that cleared as quickly as it came. He blinked as he looked around and found himself once again at the cloudy reception area of the cupids. 

“Well,” Ben’s attention was brought back to the fox beside him, “it was nice to meet you Ben. Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.” He finished offering his paw to the cheetah.

Ben hesitantly took it, offering one last farewell before maybe seeing Santa for the last time. The whole time a war was raging in his mind as he pondered what he should do.

Nick could see the conflict in Ben’s eyes as they shook paws for a final time. He figured the cheetah just wanted to spare himself the dread of telling the truth. There was no way he could find a wife in the time allotted. He knew it and Nick knew it. He just hated Judy went through all that effort for nothing. Nick retracted his paw and shook the snowglobe as he thought of his workshop back at the Northpole.

“Santa! The list! There’s poten-” Ben cried out, but was cut off by the whirling winds that brought Nick back to his sanctuary.

Judy worked furiously, there were only twenty days left till Grizzmas Eve. She had to come up with a short list of candidates well before then in order to give Nick the best chance at finding Mrs. Claws. It was just after lunch when Ben had given them the compiled list of candidates and she wasted no time in getting to work. She organized the candidates by age and nationality to quickly locate anyone he may wish to visit. She started to organize by species as well but Nick didn’t seem to care about that since he dated an arctic fox in the past. She spent all night and the next day working to get things ready for a presentation. It was late the next day when there was a knock at her door.

“Come in.” She called without looking up from her task. She heard the door creak slightly as it was opened and was surprised when it was her mother who had paid her a visit.

“Judy, have you seen Saint Nick?” Bonnie asked.

Judy’s ears stood up as she spun in her chair to face her mother. “No! Not since…” She looked back at the nearly completed stack of papers, realizing she’d once again gotten sidetracked and single minded on this project. She cringed when she realized she’d left without ever thanking or telling Ben goodbye. “Have you looked in his workshop?” She asked Bonnie.

“Yes, but he wasn’t there. We’ve looked all over the factory and no one’s seen him since he left to take Ben home.” Bonnie said with worry. “Do you think…”

“No! There’s no way he would abandon us. Have everyone check the factory again. I’ll go check his room and see if any of the travel globes are missing.” Judy followed her mom out of the room and turned towards Nick’s room. She knocked before entering and found it empty. Calling his name with no answer. She looked in his private workshop and checked the travel globes and did find one missing. Her heart sank as her mother’s fears crept into her own mind. With a heavy heart, she stepped out of his workshop and closed the door. Her footsteps felt heavy as she made her way to leave. Almost as heavy as her heart.

She released a shaky breath as her eyes stung.  _ “Why would he leave without saying goodbye? How could he abandon us? Abandon me?” _ She was on the verge of breaking down when the sound of wind gusting caused her ears to rise from where they’d been limp along her back. She listened to the sound of claws clicking on the floor, a drawer sliding open and close, the twist of a door knob, the creak of a door as it opened and closed. It wasn’t until she heard his voice that she dared turn around.

“Carrots? What are you…” His voice caught in his throat when he saw the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. Prepared to ask what was wrong, he wasn’t given the chance as she launched herself into his chest, knocking him on his back as she wept into his shirt. He laid there, stunned, by her reaction. Why would she act this way? He was only gone for a day, things surely didn’t get out of hand between now and then did it?

“I thought you left.” Her voice was muffled as she pressed it into his chest.

Nick felt guilty for being gone for so long without letting anyone know first, most of all, her. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” Fire in her voice as she slammed one of her tiny fists into his chest, right on his heart.

“Ow! Okay, okay! Easy there fluff.” He brought his arms around her tiny frame and held her close. “Never again.”

The two laid there in silence for a few minutes. Each seeming to enjoy their close embrace. Eventually, Nick started to find the hard floor a bit much.

“Can we get up?” He asked.

“No.” Was Judy’s immediate, muffled reply.

“Please?”

“No.” She said more forcefully.

“Come on, Carrots.” He pleaded, her response was to shake her head, rubbing her face into his shirt. Nick released a heavy sigh, causing the rabbit on his chest to rise and fall. “How about we just move to the couch then? You can keep me contained and my back would greatly appreciate it.”

He waited for a response, for a moment, he almost gave up hope. Then, he felt her shift, sliding herself off him and standing while also taking one of his paws into hers. She helped him stand and led him over to the couch, all the while, keeping a grip on his paw.

“Sit.” She ordered.

Nick’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden command. He started to protest, to let her know he wasn’t just some whipped pup she could boss around. However, when she lifted an eyebrow in expectation, he quickly made himself comfortable on the couch. She joined him, their joined paws between them. It was then that Nick looked around and realized the only light source was the low ambient light provided by the magic of the mountain. 

“It’s dark.” He said.

“It’s late.” She replied.

“I could start the fire?” He offered.

“It’s fine.” She said, squeezing his arm a little more.

Being so close, Nick could swear he felt her heartbeat against his arm. But there was no denying the shiver he felt. 

“You’re cold.”

“I’m fine.” She said strongly, holding on tighter when he moved in his seat. She suddenly found out why when his tail managed to flop in her lap, bringing almost instant warmth wherever it touched. The effects were almost immediate, causing her to relax. Her grip on his paw loosened and she didn’t protest when he pulled his paw from hers and wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer to him. She soon found herself petting his tail as she leaned into his side. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Not trying to hide the smug tone in his voice.

She huffed in response, but couldn’t help the small smile that showed on her dainty muzzle. With him there and the warmth he provided, she started to feel the effects of staying up the night before and all day working on the list. It wasn’t long before her head was resting on his side with her eyes closed, content to make sure he stayed there.

The next morning, Nick woke up the same way he had almost a year ago. Laying on the couch, with Judy wrapped in his arms. Unlike last time, where Judy was facing away from him and his nose had been buried between her ears, this time Judy lay facing him with her body pressed completely against his with her muzzle pressed into her neck. Oddly, one of her limp ears was actually draped across his muzzle. 

It had been so long since he had this, he was beginning to think the first time had just been a dream. He didn’t know how they’d ended up in that position, how she would have felt about it. The only thing he knew for sure was the emotional breakdown he’d had that night, his mating season being in full swing and having found full closure from finding Skye had thrown his instincts and hormones into disarray. And in his mixed up emotional state his subconscious mind had imprinted on the rabbit that was curled up to his chest while they slept.

He’d purposefully left that part out during their discussion of vulpine traditions, in case she remembered anything from that night. But it was one of the most important parts of forming a bond with someone. Imprinting meant he’d be able to find her scent anywhere she went in the past week or more. He’d also be able to tell how someone was related to her by blood within three direct generations. It’s what killed him on the inside when he’d been close enough to smell Skye clearly. The marks they’d left on each other had long faded and hers was so mixed with that hare she was with that he barely recognized it.

Nick took a deep breath through his nose to try and settle his mind. Drawing in more of the scent of lavender and spring rain that seemed to calm him no matter what. And cinnamon, everything here smelled like Grizzmas after all. Looking back, he realized he’d made two mistakes after understanding his predicament. He’d not been fully honest with Bonnie and Stu when he went to talk to them that day. They’d been hesitant to share everything and he couldn’t blame them. The second was assuming that because Judy had forgotten about their dinner together that same day that she was rejecting him. She didn’t say no because she was never asked.

Now, after last night, he was certain she must feel the same way as him. Even if she’s still unsure or doesn’t realize it yet. He smirked as he slowly pulled himself away from her still sleeping form, covering her with a blanket to replace his missing warmth. 

_ “Well,” _ he thought,  _ “I’ll just have to help her realize it.” _

For Judy, waking up that morning was much the same as waking up that first morning. First she realized she wasn’t in her room, then realized it was Nick’s room and she was sleeping on his couch. Then, the realization that he wasn’t there with her kicked in. She quickly sat up and scanned around her but was still unable to see him. She stood on the couch and looked over the back and blew out a relieved sigh when she found him, once again, in the kitchen preparing a meal. She hopped off the couch and walked into the kitchen.

“Hey Fluff, sleep well?” He asked, turning to face her. Not very surprised when she wrapped her arms around him.

“Better than I have in ages.” She mumbled into his chest. Any tension left over from not knowing where he was when she woke up quickly dissipated as he started to pet her ears. Earning a pleased hum and, to her embarrassment and Nicks’ surprise, a loud tooth purr. Which she quickly cut off when he said something.

“Carrots? Are you, purring?” 

She quickly jumped away and with an embarrassed giggle, suddenly found the oven very interesting. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

Seeing her attempt to change the subject, Nick easily leans on the counter before answering her question. “Muffins.”

“Muffins! Yum, uh, how long till they’re ready?” She eagerly asked.

Nick looked away, as if he were in thought before giving her a sidelong smirk. “Fifteen minutes.”

If her ears had not already been down her back to hide her blush they would have fallen at the revelation. “Oh, fifteen minutes.”

“Yup.” He said, popping the p. As much as he was enjoying himself, he didn’t want her to feel embarrassed for their entire meal. “Hey Carrots, wanna know something?”

She looked at him curiously, one ear still blushing popped up on its own accord.

“I’ve got a secret.” He said in a conspiratorial whisper. “Would you like to hear it?”

Knowing he was messing with her, she was desperate enough to play along and leaned closer. She watched as he brought his muzzle close to her ear, holding up his paw as though to cover his mouth from anyone who may be listening in. She didn’t know what to expect, suspecting another of his dumb jokes or silly phrases he would sometimes say out of the blue. But this time, this time she truly didn’t expect what she heard.

Nick couldn’t help but chuckle at the cute squeak she made when she jumped away from him. Covering her muzzle with both paws as she stared back in surprise. He quickly settles himself with a satisfied smile and leans back against the counter again.

“You can purr?” She asked in amazement. 

“Mmhmm.” He nods his head.

“Can I…” She started, but stopped. Worried she might be crossing a line but decided if he shared it with her first then maybe… “Can I hear it again?” She had her answer as his smirk broadened.

“I”ll do you one better, Carrots. Come here.” He gestured for her to approach him. She did so timidly, which he expected giving his teasing nature. When she was close enough, he reached out and turned her around while holding her shoulders he pressed against her back and brought his muzzle down between her ears before building a low purr in his chest and gradually increased its intensity.

“Wow.” She said in a low voice, her words nearly wobbling from the vibrations she felt traveling through her body as Nick continued to purr against her. She found herself relaxing back into him as he continued to change the tone and intensity as he continued. She was vaguely aware of him moving them to a kitchen chair and him keeping her pressed against him as she sat in his lap. To her it just meant more contact with the source. She was in a trance, a trance that lasted till he stopped. She wasn’t sure when she closed her eyes but she found it hard to open them again. “Why’d you stop?” She asked, almost immediately.

“Muffins are ready.”

Breakfast was a quiet event. Mostly composed of each party eating their share of muffins. Judy sending quick glances towards Nick, Nick letting his gaze rest on Judy for most of the duration. When they both finished they agreed on a working lunch to get an early start at working through the list. Mostly at Judy’s behest. 

For Nick, the day seemed to be crawling along. He would go out onto the factory floor to ensure everything for Grizzmas was running smoothly and would be gone for what felt like hours. Only to look at the clock and only ten minutes to have passed.

For Judy, the hours slipped by faster than Grizzmas night. She’d finish putting the details for one candidate together thinking only a few minutes had passed only to have a slight panic attack when she saw an entire hour was gone.

When the hour they’d both agreed upon finally arrived Nick found himself lying on the couch, fiddling with a small toy the workshop had recently worked up for next year. He glanced up at the clock and smiled.

“Three… Two… One…”

The door to his home burst open as Judy rushed in and went straight to his table, organizing everything in a mad frenzy.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, we can get started immediately. We don’t have any time to spare.” She continued preparing her presentation as Nick ambled his way from the couch to where she was. Taking a seat and watching her with some amusement and sorrow. Mostly sorry she had to spend so much time on this. “Here’s the first candidate.”

Five hours, five excruciating hours. That’s how long Nick had to grin and bear the torture before him. Going over name after name of vixens he would never meet when the bunny he wanted was sitting right in front of him. He contemplated just telling her, he suspected she might feel the same. Maybe even assured she might. But it didn’t seem fair to throw that kind of decision on her like that. He also felt Judy may simply go along with it out of some sense of duty. Thinking that because he loved her it was her responsibility to accept and become Mrs. Claws so as to save Grizzmas.

No, he wouldn’t allow that. If Judy loved him he’d wait until she realized it herself. Until then he’ll be there, by her side to support and uplift her. Not that he won’t drop little hints here and there. Or even be bolder than a tod normally would, like a bunny would. At the fifth hour, Nick felt he’d waited long enough and pushed the papers in front of him away and looked up at a concerned Judy.

“Fluff, I just want you to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done. Really, the amount of effort that you’ve put into this project is astounding.”

“...But?” She timidly replied.

“But, how am I supposed to choose someone from this list? I mean, it takes days, weeks even to know someone well enough to ask out on a date. I mean, have you ever been asked out on a date that quickly before?” He finished, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Judy’s ears blushed and she shied her eyes away, giving Nick the opening he wanted.

“Carrots? Have you ever been on a date?” At this point, he was struggling to keep his excitement at what was to come contained. He let a little of it slip through as she shook her head, smiling at finally getting to where I wanted to be. “Well, I think we should fix that.”

“We can worry about my love life after we find you a wife Nick. We don’t have time to-where are you going?” She asked as Nick rose from his seat and walked towards his closet.

“I’m getting dressed. As much as I’ve come to love the Santa suit, I don’t think it’ll blend in well where we’re going.”

“Nick you can’t be serious! We don’t have time to waste on silly games!”

“Silly games? You think spending an evening with me is a silly game?”

“We-well no but-”

“Good!” He said as he walked out of his closet, dressed in one of those bright colored pawaiin shirts he liked. Matched with a pair of khakis and a striped tie that didn’t match. “I’d hate to think you didn’t enjoy my company.”

“Nick.” She looked at him, worry pulling at each of her features.

Nick sighed and walked up to her, kneeling to be at her eye level. “Judy.” She immediately perked up, he rarely used her real name. She felt her ears light up again as he took her paws in his own, rubbing his thumb on the back of her knuckles. “The fact is I don’t know if I’ll be able to find Mrs. Claws in that list in time. But I do know that I can spend the time I have left with someone whose company I enjoy more than anyone else.” He watched as her eyes widened in surprise. “What do you say? Let’s have some fun before the curtains close?”

Nick felt like he would throw up as she stood stock still looking back at him. Her eyes twitching back and forth between his own as she considered his offer. He was about to consider trying to convince her again when she finally spoke.

“Okay.” She said. “But only as practice.”

“What?” Nick asked, confused.

“This is just a practice date. Then, you have to focus back on finding Mrs. Claws before Grizzmas Eve. Agreed?”

Nick blinked a couple of times before getting over the shock but agreed all the same. “Very well.” 

“So,” she started, feeling chipper for some reason, “what part of the mountain are we going on a practice date to?” She asked as she made her way to the door.

“Who said anything about the mountain?”

Judy turned to find Nick looking at her with a mischievous smirk.

“Well, I don’t think we want to go outside. Neither of us is exactly built for this kind of weather Nick.”

“Oh we’re going outside, just not here.” He said as he pulled a travelglobe out from behind him.

“As fun as that sounds Slick, I think you’re forgetting something.” She said as she gestured to her ears. The most prominent feature of her species, a species that doesn’t exist outside of the north pole anymore.

“Oh I haven’t forgotten anything, Carrots. Follow me.” Nick took her back into his workshop and showed her an old book he had laying on his desk. “This is the journal of the last Santa. In here he talks about experimenting with dust created from carving the stone from the mountain. Apparently, with practice and patience, someone can use the magic to make a transformation. He was thinking of using it to lessen the work whenever the factory needed major modifications. I, however, think it has another potential.” He said, picking up a bowl containing said dust that sparkled like glitter.

“And that potential is…?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Do you trust me?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Close your eyes.”

“What are you going to do?” She asked cautiously.

“Just close your eyes rabbit and don’t move.” He said playfully.

With a final huff, Judy closed her eyes and crossed her arms. She heard Nick take a couple of steps around the room before she felt his presence next to her.

“Now hold still.” He said softly.

She felt something sprinkle into her fur before his paw rested between her ears. A moment later she felt as though her whole body were tingling. Like when her foot would fall asleep. It started to become uncomfortable.

“Nick?” She pleaded.

“It’s alright, a second longer.”

Judy grit her teeth as the tingling continued. But as Nick said, it only lasted a second longer before finally fading. Judy’s breathing had turned ragged from the overwhelming sensation and she slumped slightly before feeling Nick grab her shoulders to support her.

“You okay fluff?” Nick asked.

Judy nodded her head, feeling slightly dizzy, finally opening her eyes and feeling confused with the new view she had.

“Nick? Are you, shorter?” 

Nick smiled at the question before guiding her to a mirror mounted on the wall. What she saw had her jaw dropping and her eyes widening in disbelief. The image looking back at her was not the grey rabbit she knew but a fox with grey fur.

“Nick, what…?”

“It’s okay, I know it’s a bit of a shock. But this way I can take you to Zootopia and show you what a real date is like.”

“Am, am I…”

“No no no! I can change you back. If this is too much I can we don’t have to do this.”

“No, no it’s okay. I mean, I always wanted to see what the outside world is like. It’s just, going to take a little getting used to.”

The two spent a few minutes letting Judy’s equilibrium adapt to her new appearance. It was mostly comical, especially when she discovered her tail.

“Oh my gosh Nick! Look! I have a long tail!” She squealed, holding the long appendage to her chest.

After a few more minutes Judy felt confident enough to finally travel with Nick to Zootopia. They arrived on a rooftop in the downtown area. Somewhere Nick was familiar with. The first stop was to go clothes shopping and get Judy a new set of clothes. Not that her elf outfit didn’t fit in with the current Grizzmas season, but they weren’t exactly right for the concert they were going to attend. Nick had planned ahead and brought them to a shop that would have clothes that Judy would hopefully find to her taste. After shopping, they made their way to the concert. When Judy asked where Nick got the tickets from he simply replied.

“I know everyone.”

The concert had a gazelle named… well Gazelle. Judy had never heard her music before but was quickly captivated by it. Jumping up and down in excitement in the silliest dance Nick had ever seen. She didn’t seem to care as she hip bumped him to get him to join in. Afterwards, they went to a small dinner for a quick bite to eat before Nick took Judy to a nightclub called Savannah Heat. There the two spent time dancing and having fun together. And getting closer. When they started off they’d dance with a fair amount of distance between them. But Nick was slowly getting closer and closer, till he and Judy were basically joined at the hip as they moved to the beat.

At one point, it felt as though they were the only two there. The music melted into the background as they caught each other's eyes. Slowly, they both began to lean into the other till their lips touched.

Only to be bumped into by a hyena who wasn’t paying much attention to those around her. The moment lost, Judy quickly excused herself to the ladies room, while Nick made his way to the bar.

Judy went into the restroom and went to the nearest mirror her size. She looked at the mirror and couldn’t help but giggle at seeing her own goofy grin on that of the fox she currently was. She touched her lips where they’d touched Nick for just that split second and giggled again. She couldn’t believe how fast her heart was beating or how her stomach felt as though it were full of butterflies. She decided she needed a moment to cool off and went into one of the stalls. Taking a seat, she heard the doors open and the voices that followed.

“Can you believe it?”

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he’s with her.”

“For real! A red tod like that with that grey, it’s pathetic.”

“You said it. No way he’s with her for real.”

“And did you get a whiff of her scent? She smells like gum, like, when are you gonna grow up?”

“He seems kind of old though.”

“Girl that’s exactly what I need. A tod who’s been around the block and knows how to give me what I want.”

“Oh, you going to make a move?”

“You know it. That little grey huzzy doesn’t know it but she’s about to be single again.”

Judy heard them laughing as they left, reminding her that this was, after all, just a practice date and her appearance was just a facade.

But why did it hurt so much?

At the bar. Nick picked an open seat and was about to wave a bartender down when one appeared in front of him. In the shape of a friendly, chubby cheetah.

“Spots?” He asked, surprised at the cheetah’s sudden appearance.

“How’re you doing, Santa?” He chuckled.

Nick smiled at seeing him here and couldn’t help but ask why. “What are you doing here? Helping some lucky couple find their match?”

“Not exactly.” He said with a mischievous smile.

“Not exactly? Then, what are you doing here?”

Ben only shook his head as he continued to smile. “I can only confirm.” He stated.

“Can only…” Nick’s brows knitted as he contemplated the chubby cheetah’s words. They were tickling the back of his mind, a memory he struggled to bring back. It only got worse as he looked at the cheetah who was smiling at him like a fiend. A fiend whose smile melted away just before he felt a paw on his shoulder. 

“Hey handsome.” The strange female voice so close to his ear caused him to tense up. The feel of her paw on him had his skin crawling.

“Um, can I help you?” He asked, hoping to gently let her down.

“You sure can. Why don’t you come to my place and make me yours.” She was encouraged by his nervous chuckle.

“Uh, thanks but I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.” 

“Well, in case you change your mind.” She leaned in and whispered into his ear, telling him she’d wait outside. He smiled and watched her leave, feeling relief wash over him. Till he saw Judy out of the corner of his eye.

It took Judy a moment to gather herself enough to finally leave the restroom. She started walking towards the bar to look for Nick, only to stop in her tracks when she saw a red vixen leaning all over him. Movement past Nick caught her attention, drawing her sight to Ben. He smiled at her and she ticked her eyes back to Nick and then back to him. She felt both hope and fear as she continued to glance back and forth. The jealousy she felt when the vixen rubbed her paw across his shoulders and whispered something in Nick’s ear was the final tipping point in the long overdue realization. She looked to Ben and silently mouthed the words.

I love Nick.

Ben’s smile only widened before he nodded to confirm her feelings were true. S he looked back in time to see Nick smiling at the vixen leaving his side. As soon as she saw him begin to turn towards her, Judy ran through the crowd and out of the nightclub.  She didn’t see the red vixen standing to the side, a wicked grin as she watched her leave.

Nick just caught sight of Judy as she vanished into the crowd, turning to look back at Ben for a second before chasing after her. He moved around the mammals who were still dancing as best he could, trying to catch sight of Judy but to no avail. He made his way towards the exit, the direction she’d ran, and felt his fur stand on end.

“Chasing after me so soon?” The vixen from earlier had somehow made her way to his side and was wrapping her arm around his. 

Anger flashed in his eyes, a blood curdling snarl caused his lips to pull over his teeth as he snapped at her. Several of the other patrons standing nearby nearly jumped out of their fur and the vixen wisely backed away. Free, he quickly made it out of the exit and scanned the parking lot. No sign of her anywhere.

Worry began to build in his chest as he started to get frantic, adrenaline blinding his mind from thinking properly. He started walking back and forth in front of the exit, unsure of where she went. Eventually bumping into someone who yelled down at him to watch where he was going. Nick looked up to tell them off, but froze when he saw the candycane sticking out of their mouth. 

Candycanes.

Grizzmas.

She smells like Grizzmas.

Nick gave a quick apology and stepped away, pointing his nose into the air and sniffing deeply. He concentrated on the scents of cinnamon in the air but quickly became confused. Cinnamon was everywhere, it wafted through the air from all directions. With it being the Grizzmas season it was one of the most common scents being used right now. Nick mentally kicked himself for forgetting that, for forgetting that everyone on the mountain smelled like cinnamon, but no one smelled like Judy. Nick took a calming breath and concentrated not on Grizzmas but on Judy. On the scent of lavender and fresh spring rain. Calmly, he paced around the entrance to the nightclub, taking deep breaths through his nose till he found what he was looking for.

There. Judy went this way. He followed the scent into the parking lot, to the darkest corner. Eventually the sound of sniffles and shaking breaths could be heard. As he rounded another vehicle, he finally caught sight of her, leaning against the wheel to a large mammal suv. Gently, he walked over and sat next to her. She had her knees pulled into her chest and her face hidden behind her arms. He nervously tapped the pavement with his claws, not sure why she ran or why she was so upset. Was it because of that vixen? Did she think he could possibly be interested in her? He needed to clear that up quickly.

“Judy, I-”

“I want to go home.”

She cut him off, ending anything he’d tried to say. The two silently walked back to the rooftop they’d arrived on, where they hid their belongings. Nick pulled out the travelglobe and held his paw out towards Judy. He saw her hesitate for a second before reaching up to hold his shoulder instead, looking away from him. Nick closed his eyes and rolled the snowglobe in his paw, he swallowed the nerves that had built up in his throat on their walk back and told the globe where to take them.

“Home.”

As soon as the whirlwinds died down, Nick felt Judy’s paw leave his shoulder and just caught sight of her leaving his room. With a heavy sigh, he placed the globe back where it belonged and spent the rest of the night wondering what went wrong.

Seventeen days passed and not a word from Judy. He’d gone by her room, where she’d barricaded herself inside but she would never answer the door for him. Bonnie and Stu would stop by and let him know she said she was okay and would let them drop food off outside her door but she hardly ate anything when they came back to pick up what was left. Nick worried over her constantly, not even noticing his Grizzmas fluff hadn’t grown in yet.

It was the day before Grizzmas Eve when Nick found himself in front of Judy’s door once again. He knew his time was short and he needed to make everything as it was before he had to leave. He knocked on the door and waited. No answer.

“Judy, please answer me.” Silence. “Fluff, I need to change you back. Tomorrow’s Grizzmas Eve and I don’t know if I’ll… Please, just open the door.” There was a moment of silence before he started to turn and walk away.

“I can’t.”

Nick’s ears perked as he looked back at the door in surprise.

“You can’t? Are you stuck, are you hurt?” He asked frantically.

“No, I… I can’t let you in.”

“Carrots, I have to turn you back before I’m gone. I can’t leave you like this.”

“Would it be so bad?” She barely whispered.

“What? I can’t hear you.” Nick called out.

“Nick, I… I’m not dressed.”

“Uh, oh, okay, um, I can wait till you get dressed.”

“No, you, you dumb fox! I don’t have anything to wear. My clothes don’t fit anymore and the ones…” She was about to say the ones he had given her, but it hurt too much. “The ones that fit are in the wash.”

“Oh, oh okay, uh, hold on. I’ll be right back.”

Judy listened to his footsteps get further and further away. It was so embarrassing to stand there in only her fur, yelling through the door to him. It didn’t help that Nick had done too good of a job in transforming her into a fox that she now had fox like instincts. Instincts that were telling her that it was now mating season. And with the tod she wanted on the other side of the door, her instincts were kicking into overdrive. It felt like an eternity until he came back.

“Carrots? Here, open the door and I’ll pass it through.”

“What is it?” She asked.

“One of my shirts and some shorts that you can tighten.”

Judy opened the door just enough for his arm to pass through. She accepted the items and closed the door before putting them on. As she pulled the shirt over her head she immediately realized it was a mistake. It was heavy with his musk and her body began to ache for him. So much so, that she opened the door and let him in, without putting the shorts on. Without being used to these desires, she closed the door and felt her instincts take over.

When Judy opened the door, Nick went ahead and took it as his queue to enter. He stepped to the middle of the room and first noticed the small mess the place was in. Her bed wasn’t made and she had several things scattered around the place instead of the normally tidy and orderly manner she was known for. When he heard the door close he turned to finally face her. Only to have Judy practically pounce on him, pushing him onto the bed.

“Oof, Judy, what are you-” He was cut off when she smashed her lips into his. He tried mumbling a response, but the attempt was weak as he slipped into the bliss of feeling her so close, achieving what he had wanted for so long. “Judy.” He said breathlessly as she started nipping along his jawline and moved to his neck. The feeling of her sharp canines digging into his skin quickly broke him from his dreamlike state and he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.

“Judy, wait. I need to change you back before it’s too late.” He pleaded.

“No! Please..." She shouted, her voice shattering. "...let me stay like this. Let me stay with you." She begged with her eyes, pleading as tears started to fall, no longer being able to hold them back. "I love you Nick!”

It was such a surprise that Nick’s grip loosened and she pressed past his arms, burying her face into his neck. Her breath hitched and Nick gently wrapped his arms around her.

“Please Nick, keep me like this.”

He held her tighter, reaching up and rubbing her ears to help calm her down. He stayed like that with her for a while, just enjoying the feel of her body against his own. Eventually, he knew he had to finish what he came here for.

“Hey, look at me.” Judy slowly lifted her head so they were looking into each other's eyes. It pained Nick to see her beautiful violets so bloodshot from crying. He took her face in his paws and gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs before bringing her into a deep kiss.

Judy felt ecstatic, like lightning bolts were going off through her entire body. The first kiss had been great but this one was full of love and passion. So much so she felt her leg lift slightly all on its own. She peaked her eyes open and felt certain she saw the same amount of love in Nick’s features as she felt in her own. His long pointed muzzle pressed tenderly against her own short-

Judy immediately pushed herself away and upright, looking down to see herself turned back into her former self.

“Why?! Why Nick, why?!” She begged for an answer. Nick looked up and smirked as he replied.

“Dumb bunny,” he said gently, “how could I possibly love you as anything less than who you truly are.”

She stared back in surprise, taking a moment for what he said to process. “You, you love me? For how long?”

“Almost a year.” He said with a sigh.

“A year? A year I’ve been looking for someone else for you. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was worried you would say yes because you thought it was some kind of duty or something.” He said sheepishly.

Judy smiled, shaking her head before leaning down, bringing their muzzles mere breaths apart. “Dumb fox.” Was all she said before pressing her lips to his. Pulling away after a moment and looking into his eyes. “You’re probably right.”

The two laughed together as they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. The next morning Judy woke to find herself completely buried in Nick’s extra Grizzmas fluff. She enjoyed the extra warmth until her mind finally kicked in and told her what that meant. Quickly sitting up from where she’s been laying next to Nick, his paw resting on her stomach and his tail wrapped around her waist.

“Nick! Your Grizzmas fluff! It worked!” She exclaimed.

“Mmm.” He moaned. “It itches.” He said, scratching his side.

She laughed at his expense, burying her face back into his warm fur. Sighing contently as he wrapped his arms around her once again.

And so, Grizzmas was saved when two hearts became as one, and the North Pole became a warmer place.

**Further away, in a cold and dark place**

“Your heart has grown colder, my son.” The old woman croaked. “What causes you such pain?”

“Lies and deceit.” He said, barely above a whisper.

“What will ease your pain?” The old woman asked.

“Cold, enough cold to freeze the warmest heart in the world. The heart of Grizzmas itself.”

“You shall have it, my son. My precious child of ice. My Jack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, there will be a third installment. And just like the third movie from this series it will include Jack Frost. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year is a happy one so far.
> 
> I want to give special thanks to FirnenOne and TOGDoesStuff for proofreading and editing this story. The scene where Judy is begging Nick to keep her as a fox underwent major changes suggested by FirnenOne to really bring out the emotions and I think it works quite well.

**Author's Note:**

> The pictures is a commission I had done by @MermaidPerlas. I recommend you check her out!


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